New Generation of Kurosaki
by Neko.Writer
Summary: With the human world starting to crumble, Ichigo and Rukia must fight side by side to protect what's most important to them: their kids. Parenting is not what the duo expected it to be, especially in a world of chaos and confusion.
1. Continuation

**The New Generation of Kurosaki**

**Chapter 1: Continuation**

**(****Rukia POV)**

"Ichigo! I want food!"

My craving for odd foods was only beginning, my choices were becoming more exotic as time wore on.

"Why can't you get your own food like normal people?" He wined, but readied himself to leave the house.

"because you're my boyfriend." I smiled as I continued to read the manga in my hands.

"That's exactly it. Are you confusing the words boyfriend and slave by any chance because I will gladly run down to the store and buy you a dictionary." His voice bounced off the walls of the hallway outside the bedroom. He was already at the front door; I won.

His groan was very audible from downstairs as the front door slammed shut.

_And why didn't I want to go out with Ichigo before? It's so much more convenient_. Ichigo and I had been going out for over two years now—my brother hadn't the slightest idea. Personally, I would like my boyfriend in one piece as long as possible and I think Ichigo would agree.

I could hear Ichigo's yellow c5 Corvette roar to life. His paycheck had been good to us recently. Ichigo was good at what he did and certain people took notice. Those people of course were the higher ups of soul society. I was already getting a decent amount of money to look after Karakura Town, but Ichigo went beyond that: there hadn't been an accident, nor an eaten soul, in the past year. In return for their thanks, soul society began paying Ichigo for all the trouble he went through as if he was a full-fledged Shinigami. He made sure I was well taken care if, yes, Ichigo had turned into something that resembled a gentlemen. Even though we could easily afford a house of our own, he had always been insistent on staying at his Dad's.

I zoned out to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. I was tired. Everything was getting harder: fighting, eating, walking, but most of all lying. I couldn't keep my secret from Ichigo any longer, it was becoming too much. Before I knew it I drifted off to sleep.

"Rukia I'm back." Ichigo's voice startled me along with the slamming of a door.

Ichigo sluggishly dragged himself into our room and threw various snack foods onto the bed for me to choose from. "Sorry Ichigo, I'm not really hungry anymore." I said sheepishly with a yawn.

"Damn it Rukia, you've been doing this all week! What's up with you? Are you sick?" He reached a hand to my forehead—a comforting gesture.

His curiosity had finally hit. It was only a matter of time before he found out the truth: "Maybe something's up, maybe there's not. Who knows?" I laid back on the bed staring him, questioning whether or not he was prepared for the truth.

"I think you know." He stared back challenging me.

He moved over to our bed, resting himself on top of me restraining my hands to my sides.

"Even if there was something why would I tell you?"

He leaned down, centimeters from my lips, intent on teasing me.

"Because I'm the guy that just drove down to the nearest convenient store and bought you food on demand." I gave it a moment of consideration. Today was the day; I could feel it. The longer I kept up this charade, the harder it would be on me.

"Well the truth is…" I was interrupted by a knock on the window sill—Renji.

"Not to break this lovely moment up or anything, but I thought you might want to know who's on the way to your house and will arrive in about .5 seconds."

Neither of us had time to think. We darted up: I laid on the bed reading a manga while Ichigo sat at his desk, talking 'more in depth' with Renji. In a few seconds the guest of honor arrived: my brother.

"And what do I owe this surprise?" Ichigo mumbled.

"I came to drop off your paycheck." Brother had been doing that regularly now. He liked checking up on our 'current relationship status' and as far as he was concerned we were just roommates.

"Thanks." Ichigo replied in an annoyed tone while accepting the official looking envelope.

"And Rukia how are you doing?" His voice screamed: 'if Ichigo is doing anything inappropriate, tell me now.'

"Fine. Thank you." I responded politely. I wished everything could stay just like this. Ichigo could go on living free of Soul Society's influence, we could continue our relationship, and brother could be left in the dark about said relationship. "Thank you for your consideration Brother." He nodded, turned toward Ichigo with a piercing gaze, and then left in a flash.

I honestly hated these visits. If he knew exactly what was going on he would probably whisk me away to soul society right now, then come back to finish Ichigo off. I sighed letting the stress consume me.

**(Ichigo POV)**

Rukia was starting to annoy me with the constant food requests, the freaking store clerk must know my name and credit card number by heart. As much as I hated constantly running out, I was okay with it as long as she was happy. I had turned into a sap.

"Renji, don't you have something better to do with your time?" I complained at the red-head still perched on the window.

"eh, not really, but—" Before he could finish, I had masterfully kicked him out the window with a loud thud on the ground below. I shut the window before he could climb back up and start an argument.

"Ichigo, I suppose now would be the best time to tell you this since we're alone..." I nodded for her to continue. My heartbeat sped up in anticipation, "well, do you remember last month?"

I joined her on the bed putting my arm around her waist, her head automatically drifted to my chest. I noticed she intentionally hid her face. That's when I knew it had to be bad.

"I'm…well...pregnant." Her words came out fast, yet every syllable was audible... too audible.

"What? What do you mean you're PREGNANT?" I may have shouted a little too loud. I could feel Byakuya and his spiritual pressure rise… then double. Shit, I was dead.

"Ichigo you idiot," Rukia slapped me upside the head making me fly into a wall, "You don't just shout stuff like that into the abyss. Now Brother is coming and damn it Ichigo these babies are going to have a father."

"How did he hear? He had to be miles away! No, screw that…You're pregnant!? Wait… babies… as in plural?" My head was spinning; my body gave out making me fall back against the wall.

This was too much… I was 21 and it _is_ when couples start to think about their future, but I was a Shinigami and so was Rukia. We didn't have time to take care of a baby. Not to mention a baby… no, two babies, born of Shinigami. The Winter and Quincy Wars were over, but what if something else happened like that again? Did I want to have kids in a world plagued with death and destruction? My thought process came to an end when I felt myself being forcibly held to the wall by Byakuya.

"You got my sister pregnant?" His voice was coming out in random spurts of anger.

"Ichigo you found out?" My dad burst through the door with a huge grin on his face.

"You knew?" I retaliated, ignoring the fact Byakuya was about to choke me do death.

"Of course! Who do you think told Rukia? It's not like she would know instinctually she was having twins." That bit of information confirmed my death.

Amazingly a final blow never came, but instead he let me go sliding down the wall.

"It wouldn't be fair to take out my niece or nephew's father" He said through gritted teeth.

"Don't forget it could be both!" My dad chirped in, he was killing me.

"She will stay here until she can be moved to soul society. I will make the arrangements today." He said seemingly distracted by his thoughts.

"Move? Who said you can just take her?" I argued back at him while trying to stand.

"Brother! I assure you that won't be necessary…yet." She attempted to calm Byakuya down who was clearly taking this worse than me. I was surprised his usually calm composure melted so fast.

"yet?" I squeaked.

"Well Ichigo, you can't possibly think I can deliver two healthy babies in the human world? Think of the type of reiatsu they'll have. Hollows will swarm them." She put hands on her hips questioning my sanity. How was I to know any of this?

"That makes sense." I said, not really believing myself.

I would be more relaxed with a professional in Shinigami births to deliver the babies. Was I coming around to the idea of having a baby? Whether I was okay with it or not it was going to happen. Suddenly my mind envisioned two little kids running around a yard pretend sword fighting with sticks, but I knew they may have swords of their own. The thought made me gulp sending a shiver down my spine. Was I prepared for my kids to follow my line of work?

Over an hour had passed and the good thing was that I wasn't dead. Byakuya went back to Soul Society to figure out the specifics of the pregnancy and what Rukia needed to do to maintain her health. No one remained in my room besides Rukia who sat on the bed staring blankly in front of herself. She was waiting for me to say something.

"So how long have you known?" I tried using a comforting voice because I knew what she was going through probably wasn't easy. She put up a good façade, but I knew she felt anxious just like me.

"About a month or so." She admitted.

I placed a hand over my eyes, "And you didn't tell me?"

I was dumbfounded—why was it so hard to tell me the truth?

"I wasn't sure how you would react to it, I mean it's the worst news you could get and I thought you would be furious with me." She sounded nothing like the Rukia I knew, she must have over thought the whole thing.

I leaned down once again, but more gently, pinning her to the bed, "One: I would never be furious at you no matter what and two: this isn't a bad thing, I mean a setback yeah, but definitely not a bad thing." Her eyes went back to normal, so assumed I broke through.

"Don't worry I'll do whatever you and the babies want."

I soon regretted saying that.

**Month 2**

"Ichigo am I fat?"

I sat down beside Rukia putting a hand on her shoulder, "You look a little bigger!"

A punch rammed me into a wall. Wasn't that a compliment to a pregnant woman?

"I knew it, I'm ugly."

Damn, emotional imbalance.

**Month 3**

"Ichigo do I look fat to you?"

I sighed.

"No." I stated firmly remembering last month.

She started to panic: "But aren't I supposed to be? Is something wrong with the babies?"

Her mouth flew at an inhuman pace. I wish she would make up her mind about what she wanted me to say. I was getting tired of being hit through the nearest wall every time I opened my mouth.

"I was lying Rukia, you do look fatter." That was for sure; I could clearly see a curve in her stomach.

Tears swelled in her eyes, "Why did you lie to me?" I sighed again.

**Month 4**

"Oi, how's the expecting mother?" As soon as Renji came through the window he was punched back out it. I snickered, for once I wasn't the one being hit.

"What was that for?" The red-haired Shinigami complained while climbing back through the window.

"Her emotions are going haywire." I stated hoping Rukia didn't decide to hit me.

"You're gone for three months…without a simple hello?" She pulled back for another attack before I grabbed her hand pulling it back down to her side.

"He had to go back to soul society sooner or later." She understood my reasoning, her hand went inanimate.

'She's scary pregnant,' was all Renji got to say before being punched out the window again. This time he was smart enough not to come back. I wished I could just disappear until the baby was born.

**Month five**

Five stressful months, I couldn't stand it. And Rukia was so fat! She looked like she was about to give birth any second. My dad had never seen anything like that before, not even with triplets. He speculated that the babies' reiatsu was the cause for their accelerated growth. He noted that I came a few weeks early most likely for this same reason, but this was too early.

**Month six**

"Ichigo…" I heard Rukia moan next to me.

"What?" I groaned wanting to go back to sleep. Why didn't I sleep on the couch or in the closet?

"umm.."

My eyes burst open when I felt something wet on my bed.

"Rukia what's going on!?" My whole bed was drenched in water, way too much water.

_Oh my god._

"Did your water break? Why didn't you wake me sooner?" I was going on and on becoming more nervous as the seconds ticked by. I had called soul society on Rukia's phone explaining that Rukia's water broke. Of course, I was rushing around having no idea what to do and hadn't gotten dressed by the time Byakuya walked through the gates that appeared in my room. I was in my boxers—perfect.

"Kurosaki make yourself decent." He diverted his attention to Rukia rather than my exposed body.

"I don't care if I'm in my underwear! Rukia is in fucking labor!" Apparently he missed the moaning girl on the bed holding her stomach.

"Watch your mouth _boy."_

I hated when he called me boy, but I let it slide.

"My girlfriend, your sister, is in labor. Does any of this ring a bell?" He was really pissing me off with his nonchalant voice.

"This is your responsibility. I'm here to make sure you don't fail." I rolled my eyes at his comment while going to help Rukia.

"Fine." I gave Rukia a reassuring look before getting to work.

With only time to throw on flannels I realized that I had to change into my soul form anyway so there was no point in getting dressed. I quickly changed myself and Rukia, then followed behind Byakuya who seemed somewhat nervous.

**Six stressful hours later**

"Congratulations Ichigo you are a proud father of a boy and a girl." The captain of the fourth squad gave my children to me while I looked at their adorable faces: one with black hair the other with orange. How did I know that would happen?

"What are their names?" I asked the captain wondering if Rukia had already named them.

"Rukia requested the name Kaien for the boy. She said you would have a fitting name for the girl." She smiled sweetly at me.

Rukia knew I was fond of a certain name if we had a girl: "Masaki" I said softly staring at the black haired baby.

She smiled then went to tell the name I had chosen to Rukia. I knew what the name 'Kaien' meant to Rukia and how Kaien had changed her life. I was proud to say both my children wore a name that represented two irreplaceable people in our lives. They would be a living reminder of their memories.

"I'm a dad." I smiled looking at my twins. Nothing in the world had ever looked so beautiful.

***** I would really appreciate reviews even if it's one word! Another update should appear tomorrow! *****

**Hello All! This is my reboot of "The New Generation of Kurosaki". I loved this story to death, but I didn't have the skills to write it well back in middle school. Now being an English major in college, I am more than capable to weed out the errors and organize the story better than before. For any of you that read this before, there will be a lot of familiar things, but a lot will change as well—so take it as a new story. I plan on making extremely fast updates since I have the outline of the story written out.**


	2. The barrier

Chapter 2: The Barrier

(Ichigo POV)

"Something bad is happening, I can sense it." I stated staring out the kitchen window, leaning on the counter.

"Oh come on Ichigo, they can't possibly get into too much trouble now." Rukia sighed watching our twins making their way across the living room.

"No, I'm not talking about walking," although that scared me equally as much, "in town. Today when I was out patrolling ten people saw me. Ten Rukia! Normal people!" Rukia looked at me with a face etched with concern.

"That's impossible." She said slowly while in thought.

"I thought so too. I was only out there for a few hours; it can't just be a coincidence. What's going on?" I pushed away from the counter and walked over to Kaien pulling him up into my arms.

"I can consult with Soul Society." She stated while picking up Masaki. The clock blinked nine—bed time.

We nestled both our kids into bed then headed back out into our living room. We decided after the birth of Masaki and Kaien that it would be for the best to buy our own home. What we didn't plan on needing was two individual homes: one in the world of the living and one in Soul Society. Our kids needed regularly scheduled checkups because they were the first babies born with such a rare mix of genetics—Shinigami, Human, Quincy, and hollow blood. I was always concerned about what the future had brewing for us.

I looked around the living room eyeing the various toys spread across the floor. I smiled. Everything looked so innocent. I wanted this house, this life, and especially my family to stay like this forever. "We need to talk about the future." I said solemnly while taking a seat next to Rukia on the couch.

"I agree. We've been carefree for too long." She spoke in a low tone. It was obvious she didn't want to have this conversation.

"They're a year old now. Soon they'll start retaining what they see." I paused a second before continuing, "Do we want them to grow up in our world… alongside Shinigami and hollows?" I questioned staring intently at Rukia. My wife met my glare with a compassionate gaze.

"If they can live as humans then we should raise them as humans… but…" She paused not wanting to continue.

"I know," I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "we don't know how the future will turn out. Maybe my human blood was enough…" I sighed knowing the odds were slim.

"But what if it wasn't? Maybe we should raise them in Soul Society. I know it's not our first choice, but if they inherited anything other than your human half…" We both remained silent staring off into the distance. The older the twins got, the more concerns we had. Their reiatsu levels were growing each day which lead us to believe our Shinigami blood was the most prevalent in their veins. It could have been worse—my hollow blood was our greatest source of anxiety. We needed to seal off their reiatsu, with Urahara's help, on a monthly basis. It was too much for a baby to be burdened with.

"Rukia we'll be okay. Our kids will be okay. We've made it this far haven't we?" I smiled pulling her small frame on top of me.

"It hasn't exactly been a smooth path." She retorted leaning back on my shoulder.

"I wouldn't take any of it back." I stated while maneuvering both our bodies into a laying down position.

"Don't get sappy on me Ichigo." She yawned cuddling into my embrace.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I yawned back knowing neither of us would make it back upstairs to sleep. Slowly, the darkness pulled me under and consumed the anxieties of my growing children.

* * *

A loud banging at the front door tore me from my sleep. Simultaneously, I could hear two faint whimpers from upstairs. I was going to kill whoever it was. Rukia had already disappeared from the couch, so I had high hopes that I could have a peaceful pre-made breakfast after I took care of the intrusion. I hoisted myself off the couch and slowly made it to the front door. When I swung it open, Renji practically fell into the house.

"What the hell Renji! Do you know what time it is?" I yelled at the Shinigami trying to collect himself. He seemed more disheveled than normal. His clothes were wrinkled and looked too loose around his torso and neck.

"It's urgent. Where's Rukia?" As he frantically spoke Rukia graced us with her presence coming from inside the kitchen.

"Renji I know you're not the one who woke up Masaki and Kaien because then I would have to kill you." She hissed while pointing a spatula at him.

"I'll get them." I sighed starting to walk up the stairs before being pulled back down by Renji yanking on my arm.

"Ichigo this can't wait." The look on his face said it all: something bad was happening.

"What's wrong?" Rukia became serious.

"The world of the living is collapsing," He stated hesitantly, "The barrier that separates the dead from the living in the human world is decaying. We can't stop it." I stared at him unsure of what to gather from this information.

"Do you mean… humans will be able to see us?" Rukia questioned. She crossed her arms; her face lined with confusion.

"Not just us… the hollows." We both gaped at him. There would be mass hysteria and panic throughout the world if humans could see what lurked behind the barrier.

"That's why more people can see me…" I stated to myself, the information finally clicking. I looked at Renji's face; it still looked twisted with anxiety: "There's more isn't there..." I questioned Renji who just nodded his head.

"Well… tell us idiot!" Rukia argued.

"The world of the living is about to change. The humans… they're becoming targets for hollows. Soul Society doesn't know what to do. There aren't enough Shinigami to circulate throughout the entire world. It was manageable when hollows only chased down spirits and humans with high spiritual pressure, but imagine places like Tokyo or New York City. A hollow could kill hundreds before a Shinigami could even get there." We stood in silence for what seemed like hours.

"What can I do?" I asked through gritted teeth still questioning the situation.

"Nothing." He responded. His face was stuck in an expression of shock. I had never seen Renji look so helpless, but then again at the moment we were all helpless.

"Then why are you telling us this?" I argued back at him. My temper was starting to rise out of stress.

"When the barrier goes down," he shifted his gaze towards the stairs, "the hollows will attack anyone they sense with reiatsu no matter how little." Instantly, an image of my kids flashed through my mind.

"We keep their reiatsu sealed!" Rukia argued in vain, her thoughts must have been similar to my own.

"With the barrier gone it won't matter. They will still have more than the average human. The hollows won't care now that the world will be their dinner plate. Kaien and Masaki will look like dessert." He looked apologetic like he was to blame.

"I don't understand. Why now? Why didn't the hollows attack humans before?" I couldn't understand how hollows and humans could live side by side for all of time, yet it wasn't a problem before now.

"With the barrier, normal humans without any type of spiritual pressure were invisible to hollows. The barrier kept the peace." Rukia informed me. She was becoming more serious; more Shinigami-like.

"What the hell." I cursed at the air, unsure of where to direct my frustration.

"Renji… how long do we have?" Rukia asked very intent on finding out the answer.

"Two days… Three if we're lucky." Renji turned around to leave, "I have to go warn the other Shinigami in the area. Ichigo Soul Society will contact you." I nodded my head as I watched him leave.

"We need to do what's best for Kaien and Masaki." Rukia stated looking more serious than normal.

"Our worlds are converging Rukia… There's nowhere safe now." My voice became shallow as the reality set in. We didn't have to choose which world our children would live in anymore. We were being forced to raise them in a living hell.

**You know the drill. Review! I'm always more inclined to update faster when people reward me lol. **


	3. The Boy With Red Eyes

Chapter 3: The Boy With Red Eyes

(Rukia POV)

"Masaki come here." I beckoned to my daughter covered in dirt. We had settled into a small restaurant just inside the Seireitei. Our house in Soul Society was stocked with everything but food.

"Kaien don't touch that!" I shouted at my son that was intent on touching everything he could find including left behind zanpactou. The Seireitei was in an uproar. Shinigami were running everywhere trying to prepare for the collapse of the barrier. Ichigo had to attend a captain's meeting as an "expert on earth" to determine the best actions to take. He had been in the meeting for over three hours—my nerves were starting to get to me.

Ichigo and I had decided to remain here until everything in the world of the living could be sorted out. We didn't want our children anywhere near the hollows in case they began to frenzy. I looked at my daughter staring at me with child-like innocence.

"Mommy!" She touched my face as I leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

"Keep Kaien out of trouble Masaki." I smiled while pushing her in Kaien's direction. They played for a while on the floor of the empty restaurant. The owner explained how no one had any time to stop for leisurely activities like eating out or drinking. The past few days had been difficult on everyone.

"Maybe I should just wait for Ichigo at the house." I sighed wondering what the best course of action for myself was. I felt so useless in this situation. My mind screamed help, but my heart wanted to stay on the sidelines with my children. Kaien and Masaki wandered back over of their own accord looking at me with their large, loveable eyes; Kaien's hazel like his father's and Masaki's identical to my own. How could I ever leave them? I scooped up both of my toddlers and headed off towards our second home. It wasn't too far, but the walk was tedious. Kaien wanted to split off and do his own thing and Masaki wanted to pick every flower she saw.

_They would never stay put if I have to attack a hollow. Maybe living here will be our only option._

Eventually, we made it back to our small home away from home on the Kuchiki property. There was only one bathroom, two bedrooms, a small living room, and a kitchen, but this was considered large in Soul Society. I wasn't going to complain either because we received it as a gift from my brother. It was decided that the gift was his way of saying come visit more often.

I put both Masaki and Kaien down for their afternoon nap and retreated to the living room. Not more than 20 minutes later Ichigo barged through the front door with a grim look plastered to his face. I was in his face asking questions before he took two steps into the house.

"How'd it go?" I questioned hoping for a positive answer. He shook his head side to side.

"You need to leave." He spoke quickly brushing by me in attempt to start gathering things.

"Leave? Why?" he was ignoring me, "Ichigo! This is the safest place for our children!" I yelled at him as he moved room to room.

"This place is going to be a war zone." He stopped to look at me with a concerned look, "The remaining espada and arrancar know about the barrier. They know we'll be too busy with the world of the living to be able to defend the Seireitei. They're readying to attack." The look on his face was a mix of terror and concern. I knew it wasn't for himself but for our kids.

"What about you? Aren't you coming with us?" I questioned realizing he said "you" not "us".

"I need to be here. I can't just sit on the sidelines and watch; I'm going to make sure you all stay safe. As soon as I can I'm going to Hueco Mundo with a team… They told me a few captains including your brother and Toshiro would be coming-along with Dad, Renji and Urahara. Maybe we can cut down the invasion size." He kissed me on the forehead before gazing into my eyes. "I will protect all of you." He concluded while resuming his frantic search for items to take with us.

"I'll never forgive you if you don't come home!" I shouted while joining his efforts.

* * *

(Ichigo POV)

Time was going too fast. My only concern was getting my family out in time. Did I want to bring them back to my world? No, but I didn't have a choice. It was the lesser of the two evils. I knew Rukia was capable of taking care of Masaki and Kaien on her own. Six hours remained until hell broke loose.

Everything was packed and all that was left was sending my family off. I scooped up Kaien and brought him downstairs—Rukia followed with Masaki. "Daddy loves you guys." I planted kisses on both their foreheads before handing Kaien off to Rukia.

"Daddy!" Masaki happily yelled at me. The look on her face was priceless.

"I'll be back soon." I assured everyone while kissing Rukia on the lips.

"Yucky!" Kaien screamed, wiggling around in Rukia's arms.

I took one last look before bolting out the door; time was of the essence and I had none to lose.

* * *

The team was just as I was told including: Renji, Toshiro, Matsumoto, Zaraki, Yachiru, Yoruichi, Urahara, my Dad all led by Byakuya. It was a mismatched group of people, but no one could doubt how powerful this team was. The plan was to eliminate as many Espada, Arrancar, and Hollow as possible. This would lighten the load on the human world and diminish the force readying to move on Soul Society.

"Everyone break into groups of two. We will take on small groups of enemies." Byakuya announced sounding annoyed that the plan wasn't as elaborate as he would have liked. I didn't blame him; this whole plan was rocky, but we had no choice. We had been given a little over 24 hours to prepare.

The groups ended up being: Renji and myself, Toshiro and Matsumoto, Zaraki and Yachiru, Urahara and Yoruichi, and Dad with Byakuya. Poor Byakuya. We split up and fanned out over the vast sand dunes that made up Hueco Mundo. The blood red sky seemed symbolic of the future.

"What do you think we're looking for?" I questioned Renji who seemed to know where we were going.

"No idea, but I see a small building that way," he pointed into the distance, "someone has to be there."

"Good enough for me." I sighed not expecting such a carefree answer.

* * *

As we got closer to the building we could see several Arrancar guarding the entrance. I smiled; Renji's idiotic plan paid off. Both of us prepared our Zanpactou as we ran full speed towards battle.

The Arrancar were tougher than we thought. Although we were able to defeat them, we didn't come out unscathed. Renji had large gashes up his arms and had a stab wound through this right thigh. I had done much better, but only because I allowed my hollow half to heal me as I fought. Still, blood drenched my clothes and the scars of freshly healed cuts were visible. With my mask still equipped, I made my way over to Renji who was leaning against the frame of the white concrete building.

"How are you doing?" I asked assessing the damage dealt to him.

"Nothing some kido can't handle. That mask is still fucking creepy." He responded as his hands started to glow bright green.

"Useful though." I retorted, "I'm going on ahead." I yelled as I ran through the doorway.

"Don't have too much fun without me!" He screamed.

I weaved through the hallways meeting minimal resistance. The air was damp, but otherwise clean. In fact, the building was almost spotless as if it had been constantly taken care of.

_What's in here that is so important? _I questioned.

Finally, I made it to a door that had light peeking out from under it. I grinned; hopefully my search efforts weren't in vain. Slowly, I creaked the door open expecting a horde of Arrancar to flock out, but to my surprise there was just one boy. I stared at him while he stared back at me. He couldn't have been much older than my kids. Maybe three years old? Possibly four? His eyes were deep red and his shoulder length hair a dark blue. Part of a red streaked hollow mask rested on top of his head. He sat at a desk with a book in hand that looked way above his skill level. Was he an Arrancar?

"What are you?" he was the first to speak while I was standing in the doorway speechless. I wasn't prepared for this situation. "You have a mask of a hollow, yet you are not." His eyes seemed lifeless as if this was the most interaction he had in weeks.

"I'm uh… a Shinigami." I was taken back by his question, "Wait aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why would I be afraid?" He questioned innocently in a mono toned voice.

"I'm your enemy you should be afraid." I raised my zanpactou. His soulless eyes didn't change. There was no fear or sadness. I sighed while slowly lowering my sword.

"See." He stated while turning back to his book.

"What's your name kid?" I asked while walking across the room, planting my body down on the bed adjacent to the desk. The boy stared at me.

"I don't have a name. They didn't give me one yet." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Everyone needs a name kid. How about I give one to you?" The boy's eyes looked at me attentively. For the first time there seemed to be some type of emotion within him.

The boy nodded waiting for me to continue, "Hmm… Let's see…" I looked at the boy waiting for inspiration to strike. He reminded me of someone, but who? Those eyes were the same as someone I had met. I took a few minutes to think of my past. Finally, it hit me: Ulquiorra. This boy and the Espada had the same lifeless look in their eyes. "What about Ulqui?" A spark of life lit behind the boy's eyes. His mouth curved into a half smile.

"Ulqui?" He said it out loud several times to himself.

"Now listen here! You better treat that name well! Don't go ruining it by doing stupid stuff!" I felt a little hypocritical with all the stupid things I managed to do in my life—recklessly breaking into the Seireitei without a plan flashed through my mind.

"Okay." He smiled ear to ear as if I had given him the best present in the world.

"I have to go now." I started to walk out the door, "Oh, right, is there anything in this building besides you that I should be aware of?" I wasn't sure why I expected information out of this small kid.

"This place is a nursery for Espada in training. Only our caretakers and others like me live here." He said nonchalantly.

I gulped. This wasn't a place I should leave standing, but at the same time I couldn't slaughter a bunch of kids. "Don't forget what I told you about your name!" I forcefully stated while leaving the room. I heard a soft, 'I won't' as I ran down the hallway.

* * *

I met back up with Renji just in time; he was about to come looking for me within the building. "Time to go." I stated quickly trying to lead him in the other direction.

"But there has to be something in this building! It was so well guarded." He complained.

"No just supplies. Must be a warehouse." I stated in an anxious tone.

"So we should burn it down!" He yelled at me.

"I took care of it!" I argued back at him knowing that if he found the kids inside he wouldn't be as lenient as I was.

"But it's still standing!" His anger level rose.

"You can't burn down concrete idiot! I told you I took care of it! There's nothing in that building that will hurt us." I yelled hoping my words wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass.

* * *

(Rukia POV)

Shinigami were stationed all over town; the roofs were littered with them. From what the 12th division could gather the barrier would begin to unravel in Karakura town. With this new information, they began running experiments on the town. They planted several sticks, created by the joint effort of Urahara and the 12th division, that emitted pulses of reiatsu so the hollows would be attracted to those key areas first. If all went according to plan the Hollows would focus on the sticks and not the humans.

My two children played with their toys, happy to be back at our home. Hopefully, there would be no need for me to fight. Despite this, I was already out of my gigai and had my zanpactou at the ready.

The doorbell rang pulling me out of my thoughts. I wasn't expecting anyone, but wasn't too concerned since hollows didn't make it a practice to use the front door. I opened the door to find Uyruu and a very pregnant Orihime.

"What are you guys doing here?" I exclaimed happy to see my friends.

"We were informed of the situation." Uyruu stated firmly. "We wanted to make sure you had enough protection in case things took a turn for the worst." He paused for a second, "Plus, with Orihime being due any day now we wanted to make sure she didn't have to strain herself." His glare was slightly apologetic.

"I'm glad you're here." I smiled feeling more reassured of my kids' safety. As soon as the group walked through the door I could hear shouts of 'auntie Oh-i-mae' and 'uncle oo-yu'. They were still working on pronunciation. "Where's Chad?" I asked wondering about his absence.

"He's with the Shinigami guarding one of the reiatsu sticks." Uyruu answered. Orihime was too busy playing with Masaki and Kaien to notice my question.

"Where's Ichigo?" Orihime inquired pulling her attention away from Kaien's attempt to make her eat plastic food.

"Hueco Mundo." I said somberly, "Both him and Renji are out there trying to eliminate the force trying to attack the Seireitei while we're distracted. He'll be back soon." I said with a fake smile. I knew Ichigo could take on what was thrown at him, but it didn't make me worry any less.

"Just the two of them?" Orhime gasped.

"No! No! My brother, Isshin, Urahara, and a few other captain leveled Shinigami are with them." I corrected her immediately.

"That's more than enough to take down armies." Uyruu sighed as if he thought it was overkill. As he finished his sentence a beeping sound radiated from his watch. He stood up and stared out the window. "It's time."

I stood next to him, "Yes it is." I stated as I heard a hungry roar from a hollow in the distance.

**A/N: Meant to get this up yesterday! Enjoy! REVIEW! **


	4. Results

Chapter 4: Results

* * *

(Byakuya POV)

"And here is a picture of little Kaien's first steps! Oh! Oh! And look! This is Masaki's hand-drawn picture for yours truly!" Isshin held out an album of pictures and doodles as we walked along the sand dunes.

_Maybe I can make his death look like an accident… _I thought to myself, realizing I wouldn't be able to handle being with this man for much longer. We had slayed all the hollows we could find, then turned around when it was time to meet up again.

"Isshin I don't care." I said through gritted teeth trying to stare straight ahead.

"But you're their uncle! Of course you care!" Isshin cried behind me.

"No, I care about them," I gestured with my eyes towards the pictures, "I don't care about seeing doodles, them going to the bathroom, or what color their vomit was after eating." My voice was collected, but for how much longer?

"There's the caring uncle!" He exclaimed happily.

Isshin's energy level seemed to diminish while looking through his clothes to pull out a white official looking paper. I looked at him suspiciously, "Here." He sighed looking more serious than before.

"What is this?" I questioned, studying the paper. It was the result of a reiatsu test. The paper indicated reiatsu levels of a third seat Shinigami.

"This is the result of Kaien's test. Masaki's is practically identical." He stated calmly.

"But they're only infants." I was taken aback by these results. I knew my niece and nephew would be strong, but this? This was unheard of.

"Toddlers Byakuya… Toddlers. But yes, their power levels are growing rapidly. Unohana is concerned." Isshin paused looking less lively than normal, "We're all concerned… They have human bodies as you're aware. We don't know… if those bodies can withstand all that reiatsu for their entire lives." He stopped as if not wanting to continue.

"How long do they have?" I said in a monotone voice.

"At best? We figure until they're 17… Maybe 18?" He sighed.

"Do Rukia and Ichigo know?" He shook his head.

"Let them live in ignorant bliss for a little while." He attempted to smile, but his lips wouldn't allow it.

"What happens when their bodies can't withstand their Reiatsu?" I asked the question I was afraid to have answered.

"They will die." We both went deadly silent. Neither of us spoke for the remaining length of our trip.

* * *

(Ichigo POV)

All the groups eventually reformed into the large original group. Together we had slain at least three hundred of the Arrancar army and hoped that was enough to delay their attack. Out of the entire group, Renji and I were the most blood drenched; I will admit at times we were a little reckless. Not to say everyone else was scratch free. Everyone had bruises and cuts lining their bodies.

"Everyone back?" Renji shouted at the group, peering around to check everyone's status.

"Seems like it." I answered when no one else seemed to care.

"Let's go." Byakuya stated firmly readying to open the portal to the Seireitei.

"People are still healing." I argued. The look in his eyes were full of sympathy. It was confusing coming from him to say the least.

"We don't have time. They can heal there. The barrier will vanish in less than an hour." With a few groans the group huddled around Byakuya waiting to be transported back. One by one we walked through the door-way to Soul Society with what seemed like the weight of the world riding on our shoulders.

* * *

The few Shinigami remaining lined the sides of the Seireitei preparing for an attack. Majority of the Shinigami were stationed in the human world. Under no circumstances could we let the other world be destroyed. Ukitake explained during the captain's meeting that we needed to get to the hollows before the humans. People will be able to see the hollows and will try to kill them with military force. They will to a degree succeed, but the world would fall out of balance. When a hollow is killed by a Shinigami, they are purified, but when they are killed by other methods they simply disappear out of the cycle of life. We had to get to the hollows first otherwise the world would fall into chaos then cease to exist. At least if the world is only in chaos everyone would still be alive.

'The barrier has fallen. Shouldn't they have attacked by now?" Renji muffled, staring off into the distance trying to spot invaders.

"We were more productive in Hueco Mundo" I added.

"Send scouts out." Urahara ordered, looking suspiciously into the horizon, behind me to an unfamiliar Shinigami.

"Right away sir." He disappeared. Renji, Urahara, my dad, and Toshiro stood at one of the four main gates into the Seireitei. The barrier had been down for over an hour, but there was no sign of any attacks.

"We could talk about the weather." I chuckled looking at the confused Shinigami.

"Why would we talk about the weather?" Toshiro questioned.

"Because it's—," I stopped, "Never mind it must be a human thing." I stared up at the cloudless sky soaking in the bright sun. The kids would have liked to play outside today. Images of their smiles and motions played through my head. All I could think about were Kaien and Masaki. I wanted to be with them, but I knew I played an important part here.

"Sir, a report from the human world." A new Shinigami appeared beside Urahara, "a hole has been opened bridging the human world and Hueco Mundo." He finished then disappeared.

"What could have caused a hole like that?" Urahara looked stumped.

"Sir," the Shinigami sent away a few minutes prior returned, "The scouts cannot find any trace of hollow, arrancar, or Espada." The look on Urahara's face widened in shock.

"Secure a portal to the human world immediately." Urahara yelled urgently at the messenger as he began to walk away from the gate, his robe waving in the breeze.

"What's wrong? Where are you going?" I shouted after him.

"We've been fooled. The attack was never on the Seireitei. Hueco Mundo is declaring war on the human world." We all looked on in horror.

* * *

(Rukia POV)

The streets were flooded with Hollow. Thankfully, Orihime was able to put up a barrier preventing any of them from breeching the house.

"You're amazing!" I exclaimed towards the orange haired girl.

"I can't keep this up forever, but hopefully it'll last until the fighting is under control." She smiled holding her stomach. The look on her face told me she was tired. I was tired at six months when I gave birth, yet here she was at eight months and still keeping it together. I was impressed.

"Mine!" Kaien shouted from across the room, tugging on a toy that Masaki seemed so desperate to have.

"No!" She shouted back at him.

"Come on you two." I playfully scolded them.

"No! Mommy, mine!" Masaki argued. As she yelled, I felt a shift in the atmosphere. I froze realizing my children were the cause of the disturbance.

"You need to stop. Play nicely!" I urged them in a panic. Their seals were starting to overload. They didn't listen. Their Reiatsu skyrocketed leaving me to believe the seals were shattered. I heard hollow screeches headed straight for our house.

"Orihime can you hold them off?" I said quickly trying to appease my now crying toddlers. I could hear the hollows ramming against Orihime's barrier now eager to eat the delicious treats inside. She was struggling to keep up with the constant attacks.

"I think so but only for a little—," She broke off as her hand flew to her stomach, "My water just broke." She cried staring up at Uyruu and myself in panic.

"Okay. We'll be fine. Just, uhm… I know! If you can hold out for five more minutes, I know someone who can help." She nodded her head while in obvious pain. I whipped out my phone hoping my plan would fall into place.

_Ichigo you need to hurry up._

* * *

I heard rapid banging at the door as if the person would break it down if I didn't answer within the next few seconds. The door swung open to reveal Karin and Yuzu Kurosaki.

"I'm so glad you both could make it." I sighed with relief.

"Where is Orihime?" Yuzu stated getting down to business. She spotted her in the living room and quickly ran to her side. Yuzu was currently enrolled in her first year at a very prestigious college right outside of Karakura Town with intent to become a doctor. Her goal was to take over the family clinic one day. She was nowhere near certified to deliver a baby, but we didn't have many options.

"I can hold them off. They're nothing but weaklings anyways." Karin scoffed while pulling out her Zanpactou secured to her side.

"I'm coming with you." I declared readying mine as well.

"You need to stay here to protect Masaki and Kaien." She argued before jumping out the door into the battle.

"She'll be fine on her own," Yuzu reassured me as she started to prepare for the birth with towels and water, "She took down every hollow in our path to get here—in record time." She smiled.

I could hear the screeches and slicing of hollow from outside the house. Karin was right, I needed to be here not just for my kids, but for Orihime as well. Uyruu didn't look like he'd be able to help much with the frantic look in his eyes.

Orihime screamed in pain as she began the tedious process of birthing a child.

* * *

(Ichigo POV)

All but several Shinigami gathered around the newly opened gate to the human world. We rushed through without a second to spare. I needed to get home; I needed to help fight off this invasion; I needed to see my kids.

We fell from the portal in the sky like small black dots littering the horizon. The portal had been set up in a hurry, so we all had to jump from 200 feet above ground. I couldn't imagine how all the normal humans felt right now. Only a few hours ago they lived in peace, but now Hollows were destroying their homes, killing their friends, and worst of all they had to depend on the people cloaked in black raining from the sky. Would I trust us if the situation was switched? Hell no.

I eagerly headed towards home realizing I was lucky if it was still standing. Houses were demolished; humans and hollows alike flooded the streets. It was a blood bath. My anxiety rose and my mouth went dry.

_You have to be okay._

"I'm behind you Kurosaki." Toshiro spoke calmly as we weaved our way through the rubble.

"Why are you following me?" I questioned half-heartedly. If I needed help, I could rely on him.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." He looked away embarrassed. I smiled on the inside—Toshiro was concerned about my family.

"There!" I exclaimed pointing to the sole standing house in the area. As I pointed, I noticed an orange barrier beginning to fade. Orihime must have been blocking the attacks from hollows. Relief consumed me knowing that everyone must still be okay until I saw a hollow readying to dive through the roof.

Faster than I thought possible, I lunged with my zanpactou appearing from above the hollow's head. Swiftly, I forced my sword through the mask, but consequently through the roof as well. When the rubble and dust cleared I noticed that my kitchen was now nonexistent. Rukia was going to kill me.

* * *

(Toshiro POV)

Ichigo dove straight towards the hollow above the house's roof without hesitation. I was about to follow when I saw Karin trying to take on five hollows at once. She looked worn down, but still put up a good fight. I sighed with relief. It had been a long time since I saw her last, but it was good to know my old friend was safe.

With one graceful slice of my zanpactou I took out two of the hollows trying to outdo her.

"Well if it isn't Toshie." She laughed sounding out of breath.

"That's not my name Karin." I argued while slaying two more hollow.

"Whatever you say… Toshie." She continued to laugh as she rammed her sword through a hollow mask. "Bet I can take out more than you." She wagered.

"This isn't a game!" I stated annoyed. She just gave me a look. "Don't expect to beat me." I gave in, readying to win.

* * *

(Rukia's POV)

"Why the hell did you destroy our kitchen?!" I argued at the man who had just smashed his way through the roof.

"I was protecting you!" He yelled back at me.

"But not protecting the kitchen I see." I sighed wondering why it was necessary to always destroy our house. This wasn't even the first time!

"The kitchen doesn't matter." He stated annoyed running over to Kaien and Masaki to give them a hug. "Rukia, have you seen outside?" I shook my head side to side worried by what he might say next. "Karakura Town is destroyed. It's gone." The room went silent until a faint baby cry echoed off the walls.

"Congratulations, it's a boy."

* * *

**A/N: And this ends the "toddler" arc of the story. Everything is set up nicely for the rest of the story! **

**REVIEW! I have most of the next chapter written so the more reviews I get the more inclined I would be to post soon!**


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